In a statement issued Tuesday, Weiner said the drug agreement with MLB is in place to protect a player from “a rush to judgment,” and that “fairness dictates that Ryan Braun be treated no differently.”

If Braun’s positive test is not overturned and he is handed a 50-game suspension, the questions that follow will be numerous. Should a re-vote be cast for NL MVP? Should it matter, since Braun’s positive test reportedly came in October, after most of the ballots were already submitted? Should he retain the award, since previous admitted steroid users were allowed to keep theirs?

“No, I’m not saying to do steroids. I’m saying I understand why guys do it. Because the teeth to really punish players isn’t there, and it never will be. If you can get over making yourself an outcast and a villain, what do you really lose? Your reputation? A HOF bid? An agreement with the players union and the MLB that lets teams go after a players wallet for a positive test wont happen. ... Steroid use is a financial decision nearly every time. It’s a player saying, “I want to be the best so I can capitalize on being the best—now. If I don’t get caught, then I’ll worry about my longterm status. In the meantime, there is money to be made.”

And as the Post’s Dave Sheinin writes, everyone in and around baseball will be watching how this situation unfolds.

“MLB could have dropped the Braun case if the league felt there were extenuating circumstances that exonerated him — and if ever there was a player to whom you might give the benefit of the doubt, it was Braun. But the league didn’t drop the case. Perhaps it is trying to make an example of Braun. Whatever the case may be, there is a lot riding on the process.”

Matt Brooks is the high school sports editor for The Washington Post. He's an Arlington native and longtime District resident and was previously a high school sports reporter, editor for several blogs and Early Lead contributor with The Post.

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